A flow cytometer is one example of an instrument that performs an analysis of a sample. In some cases, the instrument is capable of receiving multiple samples. Each of the samples is contained in a sample container, such as a test tube. The sample containers are placed into a support structure commonly referred to as a carousel. The carousel holds the sample containers in an orderly fashion so that the samples contained therein can be selectively processed and analyzed by the instrument.
In order for the instrument to properly analyze each sample, an operator provides instructions to the instrument that define how the samples should be processed. In some instruments, a user interface is provided that includes a table structure having rows and columns through which the instructions are provided to the instrument. Because the sample containers are not themselves arranged in a corresponding table structure, errors can occur when the operator is entering the instructions into the table structure.